The eyes of the pageant world will be on Abbotsford this summer when the Mrs. Canada Inc. competition comes to the Fraser Valley from July 18 to 22.
The event is affiliated with Mrs. World, Mrs. Universe, Mrs. Globe and Mrs. Earth and wins in Abbotsford can qualify contestants to advance to those larger stages.
Women will be vying in three different divisions – Mrs. (married), Miss (never married, younger than 26) and Ms. (divorced or separated, older than 26). The event occurs at the Abbotsford Arts Centre.
Mrs. Canada Inc. founder Annie Manjuran said that she acquired the company about three years ago and said she has big plans to expand the concept across the country.
“I had been a silent investor in pageantry for a long time but I saw there was no great representation for Canada – especially for the married women and the Ms. category,” she said. “So I decided to take it on and it’s been successful.”
Last year’s event was hosted in Toronto and Manjuran said she wanted to bring the event to the West Coast.
“So many events happen in the East Coast and I wanted people to come to British Columbia and treat it like a mini-vacation,” she said. “The summer in B.C. is so beautiful and the idea is to get people to travel out here to get to experience that.”
Manjuran said about 60 women in total have been registered in the three divisions, including a number from B.C.
Pageant competitors must have community involvement to be considered for the event and there are five judging rounds during the show. Scoring is based on community service, a question and answer speaking portion, evening gown, swimwear and overall presence.
“If you are not serving the community then the purpose of representing Canada is completely lost,” she said.
Manjuran said she wants her pageant to celebrate women of all shapes, sizes and backgrounds and also build women up.
“We want to remove the superficial ways of what a pageant has been,” she said. “It’s not about being tall or a certain size or just looking beautiful. The whole idea is empowerment through our initiatives.”
She stated that her organization offers aid to domestic violence victims and survivors, as well as life coaching and self-growth tips. Manjuran said she wants her competitors to view the experience as a networking event. Many contestants become friends after the pageant and it’s a way to enjoy a relaxing vacation and meet new people.
She added that she hopes to expand the Mrs. Canada Inc. brand all across the country, with smaller competitions in communities all across Canada. Manjuran has decided to franchise the brand to allow others to run local events.
“We are going to have 100 branches across different cities in Canada and that gives women the chance to own a part of a pageant and make a side hustle,” she said, noting that she also works full-time in CNC aluminum manufacturing.
She envisions the regional pageants crowning winners and then competing nationally at an annual big event.
Manjuran is also seeking sponsors for the event in Abbotsford and those interested can contact her at info@mrscanadainc.com.
For more information on the event, visit mrscanadainc.com.